Recently Microsoft announced its entry into the tablet competition with the launch of Microsoft Surface Tablet RT with the latest Windows 8 operating system.

It has been two weeks since the launch and it is time to see what the initial reviews have been and what the news reports are saying about this new device. We bring to you views from various news reports and blogs to help you decide better.

Cnet Review says “If you're an early adopter willing to forget everything you know about navigating a computer, the Surface tablet could replace your laptop. Everyone else: wait for more apps.”

“I have been testing the Surface almost daily for three weeks and I like it. It’s beautifully and solidly built and it’s the purest expression of Microsoft’s new Windows 8 touchscreen operating system which, like the Surface” says Walt Mossberg.

Forbes says “For many of you, it may begin as an iPad replacement and unexpectedly blossom into a full-fledged laptop and productivity machine. For others, it will be nothing more than a novelty; beautiful hardware drowning in a shallow sea of software.”

Wired says “…Microsoft’s new tablet is an altogether curious device. It’s something completely new and different. It is, in some ways, better than an iPad. … It’s a tablet of both compromises and confusion. It is a true hybrid — neither fully a desktop nor mobile device.”

TechRadar says “The 16:9 screen is suited to Windows, it enables you to multitask apps and 'snap' them literally side by side. It feels like you're using a laptop and that's a big leap towards a genuine hybrid experience….The Touch Cover maybe a triumph of design but we would heartily recommend investing in the Type Cover for comfortable typing.”

Vito Pilieci in VancouverSun says “To be fair, it is no surprise that Surface is a serious competitor in the tablet computing arena. This thing had to be great. Microsoft has been struggling to attract attention in the field of portable devices ever since Apple Inc. ran away with the market. It needed something eye-popping, something you’d scream about to all your friends. They may have found it. Everybody I’ve shown Surface to falls in love with it.”

Tomshardware says “It's all well and good to convey our impressions of the Surface's responsiveness (very good, in case you're wondering). But we also recorded video from a high-speed camera demonstrating how quickly the Surface responds to touch input compared to Apple's third-gen iPad. The typing is a little tough to make out, but you should see Microsoft's tablet reacting faster. … Microsoft seems to have learned a lot from its competition in terms of usability.”

In another reviewTomshardware analyses the battery life and says “The Battery life of the Google Nexus tablet leads the chart, followed by Apple iPad 2, Motorola Xoom, Asus Transformer Prime, Apple iPad, Apple iPad 3. Microsoft Surface Tablet ranks 7th in the list.”

Swapnil Mathur of ThinkDigit reports “Andrew Sokolowski, a California-based lawyer is suing Microsoft for misleading the public with respect to the free space available on the 32GB version of the Surface RT tablet. Sokolowski claims that he bought the 32GB Surface RT under the assumption that he would be getting 32GB of storage space, making the fact that only 16GB was available, a rude awakening. “

A news report in AllsThingsD mentions “Analyst Andrew Rassweiler, who led the IHS teardown team, said that Microsoft is using the relatively low entry price as a base, in hope of enticing consumers to buy higher-end models with the Touch Cover and higher memory capacity.”

NDTV Gadgetssays “The software is far from flawless, but I'm hopeful it will get better over time as apps are developed and software bugs are discovered and fixed. What's important is that Microsoft got the hardware right - creating a light portable computer that has an ample number of fun features and a decent work environment. That combination could make Surface as addicting and as useful for extending the work day as the BlackBerry once was.”